


Easier

by HarrysHook



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-24
Updated: 2016-09-02
Packaged: 2018-03-31 22:42:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3995812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HarrysHook/pseuds/HarrysHook
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emma Swan and her six year old son are searching for a house in the back woods of Maine. She unexpectedly runs into an old friend, freshly discharged from the Navy and clearly damaged. Unable to leave a broken person to fend for themselves, Emma takes him in under the fading hope she can help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Old Flames Burn Strong

This was bad. She didn’t know how, but she knew it was somehow bad.

Emma hit the back of her head lightly against the headrest in her yellow bug, fingers drumming nervously on the steering wheel until she sighed and gave it a white-knuckled squeeze.

“Now or never,” she mumbled to herself as the digital clock in the car switched to 12:30, “For Henry.”

The car groaned when she turned it off and stepped outside to approach the large log cabin in at the end of the dooryard. A ‘For Rent’ sign swung on rusty hinges over one of the front windows in the September breeze.

Shivering, Emma knocked against the wooden door. It only took a heartbeat for the door to open, a woman with the sweetest smile she’d ever seen greeted her,

“You must be Emma Swan?” Her words were lightly accented, and she shook her hand kindly, “I am Belle.”

“Hi.” Emma smiled, relishing in the warmth of the cabin as she stepped in. She could see a fireplace was lit on the far wall.

“We’re just waiting on one other before we get started.” 

Emma frowned; she had been hoping to see the place without any competition. This was her first house, and she didn’t want to feel anxious asking questions. She’d only ever known apartments since leaving her last foster home, but now she had a six year old son, and she knew she had to settle down so she wouldn’t doom him to not knowing stability like herself. Maine was an ideal place, quiet and secluded, and near her foster brother, David, and his wife and newborn son. Henry would have at least some family interaction.

The rattling engine of a pickup truck filled the room. It chugged to a stop and a few seconds later, there was another knock at the door. The woman- Belle, answered with the same bright smile, 

“Hello again, Mr. Jones.”

_Again? Dammit._

Emma put on her best smile as the man walked in and hoped it was still there when she saw his face.

He was fucking gorgeous, with perfectly messy dark hair and a dusting of ruddy stubble coating his jaw and those eyes. Bluer than the lake the cabin overlooked.

His left arm was trapped against his chest in a cast and sling, which made him look much younger, but Emma tried not to stare too long at how it only stopped at his wrist.

“Please, Mrs. Gold. Call me Killian.” Damn that accent. Wait, why was that name familiar?

“Killian… Jones?” She asked hesitantly, her eyebrows knitting in confusion.

He perked up at his name, and she could see equal confusion in his eyes; he recognized her too. Suddenly his mouth opened and his thick eyebrows shot up his forehead, “Emma Swan?”

As soon as her name touched his tongue, she remembered.

“Liam Jones’ little brother.” She laughed, remembering her highschool sweetheart and his bumbly younger brother, Killian, that was attached to him at the hip, and equally as adamant about joining the navy all those years ago. He had been baby-faced then (not that he wasn’t now, the faint hair on his face was only recently grown and patch as a teenager), but his eyes were exactly the same.

Something flickered in them that she couldn’t quite place, but he moved to pull her into a one-armed hug before she made too much of it, “It’s good to see you.”

“Shall we get started?” Belle grinned at them, clearly excited to see they knew each other, though Emma suspected she got excited for just about everything.

They toured the cabin in mostly silence, Belle explaining some of the quirks of the house here and there. Emma found herself mysteriously gravitating toward Killian, like the light in his wide smile was drawing her in. It only grew when Belle asked if either of them would have anyone staying with them and she replied yes, her son.

“You have a son?” Killian smiled, his eyebrow quirked curiously. She felt a blush pool in her cheeks and nodded,

“Yeah, his name is Henry.”

“I’d bet he’s a sweet lad?”

“Yeah, he is.” Her heartbeat quickened as she watched questions flash in his eyes, but thankfully Belle jumped in, thrusting a door open, “There are two rooms, but the master is big enough for two beds, in case you’d be having guests.” 

The room was larger than expected when she walked them in, nearly the size of the living area. Two beds were already moved into the room at either end and a comfortable distance apart. Emma thought it was nice, but Killian’s brow furrowed and he frowned. It was a big place for one person.

She could see that thought on his face for the remainder of the tour and when they walked the small cobbled path down to the forest-ringed lake below. The water was calm, and the sun already dipping in the sky shimmered white off the surface. They paused on the rickety boards of a private dock, Belle beaming proudly at both of them,

“So, do either of you think you’d like to rent?”

Emma’s eyes flickered to Killian’s lingering frown before nodding, “Yeah, the place is really nice.”

Killian’s head bobbed in agreement, “It’s a bit big for just one person. I think Emma and her boy would find more use for it than I.” He met her eyes and mirrored the thankful smile touching her lips.

“That’s great! I’ll just let my husband know and we’ll call you with details!” the small woman pulled her into a tight, brief hug, doing the same for Killian before jogging back up to the cabin, leaving them alone at the lakeside.

They were silent a moment, before he timidly turned to her, “So how have you been, Emma?”

“I’ve been doing great,” She stuffed her hands in her back pockets awkwardly, a blush touching her the bridge of her nose as she forced herself to answer his unspoken question, “Being a single mom is hard, but I wouldn’t have traded it for anything.”

His smile was lopsided again, an eyebrow going wayward, “It’s real nice here; I rented another of the Golds’ cabins across the lake one summer when I was home. I hope your boy likes it.”

“Where are you staying?” Emma frowned at the falter in his grin.

“Er- just a motel up the road until I find a place.” He couldn’t meet her eyes and shrugged around his sling.

She was silent for a moment, watching his confidence degrade in his body language. Emma had always had a knack for reading people; made her job as a bail bondswoman much easier. She chewed her lip before speaking up,

“Why don’t we get lunch and catch up?”

A flicker of hope sparked in his eyes when he looked up, “I’d like that.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------

Anyone passing by would’ve thought the man starving with the way he wolfed down his burger in the booth at the local diner. Emma didn’t mind, though, she could tell from his small smiles that he’d not been so well fed in a long time. She knew the feeling.

“So, Killian,” He looked up, a leaf of lettuce sticking out from between his lips, “Was the Navy as great as you two thought it would be?”

Stopping to chew, and smiled and nodded, “Aye. Liam would’ve said it was hard work but he just forgot to have fun most of the time.” A laugh fell from him as he stuck two fries in his mouth.

“That definitely sounds like him. How is Liam?” She smiled with him, fondness for her old lovebird touching her eyes,, but stopped as soon as she saw him freeze up. A silent heartbeat passed and his shoulders relaxed, body leaning back against the booth seat. Emma knew what he was going to say; it was painted in his tearing eyes and the way his fingers trembled,

“We were accompanying an aircraft carrier on a frigate when we were ambushed. They dropped bombs faster than we could run to cover.” His face twisted in pain at the memory, and Emma immediately regretted asking, “A sheet of metal from something on the carrier was knocked onto us. I- I-” He was visibly having trouble breathing, his eyes and nose turning red, “I tried to push him out of the way but- i-it went straight through my hand and into his chest.” the next breath was shaky when he exhaled. Emma placed a gentle hand over his to stop him from continuing. Her heart ached in her chest, threatening to break, a mirror of the desperate tears clinging to his eyelashes. Forcing it down, she knew she had to be stronger than that,

“I didn’t know, I’m sorry I asked.” He nodded, unable to meet her gaze while he choked down a sob. For a moment, he was the vulnerable boy she’d known all those years ago. But now he was damaged, he was hurting, and maybe it was her motherly instincts but she wanted to help him, “Killian?”

His eyes slowly found hers and she attempted a sweet smile, thumb drawing comforting circles on the back of his hand, “Do you maybe want to rent the house together?”

His eyebrows shot up, mouth falling in shock, “Emma, I couldn’t.”

“I can’t just let you go back to that motel alone.” The words had sounded better in her head, but understanding warmed his eyes, 

“What about your boy?”

“I think Henry will like you.” They exchanged a silent smile before she withdrew her hand, “What do you say, Jones?”

“Alright, I’m game.”


	2. Pyrophobia

“Whose truck is that?” Henry’s excited voice piped up when Emma pulled up to the end of the dirt path in front of the cabin. His small hand shot out to point at Killian’s rusted pick up, heels drumming against the passenger seat.

She took a deep breath and took his hand to calm him; he looked at her with wide, curious eyes. Her son was bright; he would accept Killian living with them, but she still was weary. The sinking in her chest remained and caused her breath to shake,

“Henry, I’ve brought you to meet one of my friends from school. If you like him, he might live here with us for a little while, is that okay?”

“Yeah!” the six year old beamed, pressing the button to unhook his seatbelt. He hopped out of the car and she followed hesitantly, taking his small hand to lead him into the cabin. The door was left unlocked and easily swung open; Henry rushed inside, glowing with excitement.

Killian already moved from the motel, and what little boxes he had sat stacked below a window in the living area. There were already dishes dumped in the sink, a half-finished box of Captain Crunch on the counter and his leather jacket tossed carelessly over a chair in the kitchen; somehow it made her feel at home. The distant rev of an engine rang through the rooms, followed by Henry’s excited call from the master bedroom at the back of the house.

“He’s on a boat!” her son shouted as he thundered past the kitchen, and Emma had to sprint to catch up when he took off toward the lake. There was infact a small motorboat tethered to the small private dock, causing small ripples in the water as she purred to life. As Emma approached, snatching Henry's hand to stop him running up, into the boat, the engine sputtered and groaned to a stop. A disembodied voice on board let out a loud string of frustrated curses.

“Killian!” Her shout startled him, and the boat rocked dangerously under him as he bolted upright. Regaining his bearings, he hopped onto the dock; his face red, the collar of his shirt soaked with sweat and his cast free from its sling. He skipped up to them, a grin on his face,

“Emma, I wasn’t expecting you to come so soon!” He yanked her into an eager hug, the smell of salt and his musk made it difficult for her to want to let go.

“Oh, I brought someone to meet you….” But as soon as they broke the hug, he was already stooping to Henry’s level, shaking the boy’s much smaller hand,

“You must be Henry.” The grin on his face sent a pang of something striking through her chest. It shocked her, the jolt of relief and…. pride? She'd been so nervous, but the doubts that clogged her mind for so long dissolved. At least for the moment.

Henry didn't reply, but Emma was able to tell that he was already clicking with Killian. As if reading her thoughts, he glanced between them before whispering at the boy,

“I have a feeling we're going to get along great. Do you want to check out my boat?”

“Wait, hang on now-” Emma frowned catching his elbow before the boys ran onto the rickety dock.

“I’ve got three life vests on the boat if you want to come along, lass.” She sighed through her nose; he'd been in the navy for christ's sake, of course he'd know the safety laws. She trusted him with that, but she didn't trust the rusted helm and the way the engine sputtered.

A good minute passed while she debated, torn between wanting her son to get along with this virtual stranger and being uncomfortable with trusting so quickly. Killian stepped closer to whisper in her ear, his warm breath smelling faintly of sugar,

“You're something of an open book, love. It's just out of gas. No worries.”

Emma’s face heated but she nodded, “Just for a moment, I was hoping we could order dinner and eat together.”

Killian grinned and flashed her a salute, racing Henry to the dock and lifting the boy into the boat with ease, despite his casted arm. Emma watched them from the patio connected to the master bedroom, finding comfort in the cooling evening breeze, though her fingers picked at the sleeve of her jacket.

It was strange, she’d not seen this man for six years, yet there he was, playing with her son as if they’d known each other forever. Every muscle in Emma screamed that this was a horrible idea because that is all she’d ever experienced. Everyone in her life left eventually. Or worse.

And still, she didn’t want to run. She couldn’t deny the palpable bond they seemed to share, connecting over the few lunches they had together. His blue eyes were troubled but still warm. Still happy to see her again as if he never thought he would.

Emma supposed he’d thought that many times.

She didn’t want to leave him. He was alone, just like her, except she had Henry to look after and her foster brother’s family for the tough days. Killian’s brother had been his whole world, and now he was gone. She wouldn’t abandon him like she’d been abandoned.

And so, when Emma watched him lift her son out of his boat and race him up the small hill to the house, waving at her as they passed by, she dialled the number for the local pizza place.

“Sorry, I just guessed what you wanted.” She smiled at the boys when she joined them in the mud room, both trying to catch their breath.

“I’m not picky.” Killian grinned, running his hand through his sweaty hair.

“Momma,” Henry grinned up at her, “Killian said we could all go fishing on his boat!”

“Did he?” Emma tried to swallow the shot of panic in her throat, but they seemed to catch it. This was moving too fast for her to be comfortable. 

“Uh- yeah, maybe sometime during the spring?” Killian tried to sooth, placing a reassuring hand against her elbow, “It’s starting to get too cold.”

Emma knew that was a lie, but it comforted her and she tried a smile, “That sounds great.”

Both boys beamed at her before Killian led them into the main room. They fit four short lap tables together on the floor to make an eating area and surrounded it in pillows while Killian lit the fireplace. The pizza arrived while he fiddled with the poker and it didn’t take long for them to settle in comfortably next to each other.

The ease of it made Emma weary, but it was like Killian read her and fell into casual conversation with her son. He asked about his schooling, if he liked movies or superheroes, the latter eliciting a vehement ‘Yes!’ from his pizza-stuffed mouth.

“He really likes the X-men.” She rolled her eyes dramatically, Henry’s face brightening at the mention of his favourite comics.

“No way!” Killian’s face also lit up, “Wolverine was my favourite when I was your age, I think I still have some old comics in a box somewhere.”

Emma's heart dropped at the look Henry gave her. He’d never give up Killian now. There’s officially no backing out as Killian hauled a box over to their eating area and pulled out several plastic-clad comics.

The boys spent the next hour giving her a frame-by-frame commentary of the books, Henry fumbling over his facts and Killian gently correcting him as if they did this every week. Emma didn’t understand why she suddenly found it so unsettling. This wasn’t her; she didn’t trust this fast. She didn’t…. fall so fast, for lack of a better term. She was trapped, so she did the only thing she knew how…. she ran.

“Henry.” She interrupted their laughter over some cheesy punch-line or other, “I think we have to be heading home-” The ‘but this is home’ comment was bubbling in his mouth, but she cut it off, “You have school tomorrow.”

The expected pout didn’t come from her son, but from the grown man beside him, “Ah man, we’ll have to read the rest next time.” 

“Next time?” Henry perked up, eyes bright.

“Next time?” She echoed, heart drumming.

“Yeah, I mean you’re going to be moving stuff in soon, right?”

“R-right.” Emma forced a smile, but she knew Killian was unconvinced as he scratched his neck.

“Great!” He faked, turning back to Henry, “Don’t give your mother too hard a time, alright?” Henry giggled at the following wink.

It was nearly an eternity as they exchanged goodbyes and she hurried Henry into the car. He waved to Killian, who watched sadly from the window as she turned around and made from the main road.

Emma realised she had been holding her breath and let out a long sigh, her knuckles white as she gripped the steering wheel. Heart fluttering, she wondered how did she think this was a good idea? She barely knew him, yet she wanted to be there, to move in with him. It was bad. There would be a fight, he would leave, and this time it wouldn’t just be her getting hurt, it would be Henry. Perhaps it wasn’t too long to say no to the arrangement.


	3. The Calm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is short, but I'm just trying to get back into writing after hiatus. My goal for this season is to update one fic every friday, so hopefully, if I can stick to that goal, you'll see a lot more writing from me.

Nearly a month passed until Emma dared speak of Killian again. She sat on the couch in the tiny apartment, her nephew cradled in her arms while her brother prepared stew for supper. By some stroke of luck, the closest school was the one where his wife taught and she always brought Henry home with her. The sun cast bright orange squares on the floor when David set the knife down and eyed her suspiciously.

“What?” She frowned, rocking the baby.

“You haven’t told us anything about the house in a while.”

“You trying to get rid of me?” Emma deflected jokingly. He laughed, pulling the towel from his shoulder and wiping his hands.

“No, we wouldn’t dream of it,” he paused, and she bristled, preparing for his scolding, “I mean you just seemed so excited about it. So was Henry…”

Damn, he pulled the ‘but Henry’ card right out the gate. She groaned, setting the baby back it his cradle,

“I don’t know David…”

“No, don’t do that again.”

“Do what?”

“That thing you do where you push people away because you’re afraid they’ll hurt you.” She stopped to stare at him, suddenly noticing her folded arms. The smirk on his face infuriated her, “I really am looking after you. Henry too. Killian was a good guy before he left.” David assured, moving to hug her. Emma sighed and accepted the gesture,

“I know. I’ll tell Henry we’ll move this weekend.”

Well, the weekend came sooner than expected and, once again, Emma’s anxiety made her nauseous. She and Henry pulled up to the cabin in David’s rusty pick up; small snowflakes swirled around them, dusting the trees and grass with early frost. The cabin and woods were quiet though she saw the glow of yellow light from one window. Henry slammed the truck door as he hopped out, making her cringe at the loud assault. The cabin door opened immediately and Killian appeared in it’s frame. 

“Emma! Henry!” he exclaimed, hopping down the steps to meet them, “I’m glad you’re finally here!” He stopped first to give Henry a high-five (or a low five, as he was so tall) before offering her a nervous hug. Teeth worrying her lip, Emma accepted the embrace against her better judgment, coming up with the excuse that Henry would think something’s wrong if she didn’t. She didn’t want to, but she enjoyed the hug; he was warm and smelled like cinnamon. 

“Let’s get you guys inside, it’s cold out here.” He flashed a grin as he pulled away, leaving her strangely colder than before. 

It took the three of them almost an hour to unload the truck and unpack (most things ending up on the floor in the living room as they didn’t decide where to put it yet). In that time, David and Mary Margaret had arrived in Emma’s beetle, equipped with new snow-tires at her brother’s request. They only stayed a few moments, but their grilling Killian with questions was enough to embarrass her for at least a week. 

The red sun sunk below the trees on the far side of the lake as they microwaved some frozen dinners and settled in front of the fireplace. They ate mostly in silence, letting the hum of the television fill the room, though none of them were really paying attention. Henry said he felt tired when they finished, so Emma sent him to bed. It was even quieter without the kid as she and Killian sat together on the couch, awkwardly at opposite ends.

“I’m glad you’re here,” he began, startling her, “I thought I might’ve scared you off.”

_No, I just have serious commitment issues._

“Of course not. It was just hard to find the time… You know, since Henry has school and everything.” She smiled to seal the lie and he bought it, returning it with a grin,

“So... what do you like to do for fun?” 

“Uh... reading I guess. Going for walks, writing, boring stuff. What about you?”

“Doesn’t sound boring. I usually just go hang out on the boat. Fish, hunt. Oh, and that.” With a smirk, he pointed a thumb over his shoulder, motioning toward a wooden carving of a bear mounted next to the front door; stained dark brown, almost black, with it’s intricately carved face left the original light colour. 

“You made that?” She blinked in surprise, eyes drifting involuntarily to his missing hand. He grinned, however, when he noticed,

“Yeah. Amazing what you can do when people tell you that you can’t. Plus people will buy anything with a good sob story attached to it. You think I could afford rent here on a military pension?” he scoffed, a mischievous look in his eyes. Emma couldn’t help but laugh,  
“So you enjoy being a conman?”

“Something like that. Maybe I’ll take you to the farmer’s market with me sometime.” 

Emma groaned internally; he really was just perfect in everyway. Who wouldn’t want a guy that made stupidly good wood carvings and shopped at the farmer’s market and was great with kids and-

“Well I’m going to bed,” She jumped as he stood suddenly, not realizing she’d gotten lost in her thoughts. 

Uh oh. 

“See you in the morning.” His smile was sleepy as he disappeared down the hallway. Alone, Emma had only the white noise from the television and her heartbeat, raging in her ears. How he had such an effect on her, she didn’t understand. She’d stopped opening herself up to love. Not since- no, she didn’t want to think about him, Henry’s father. It made her heart ache. Instead, she pushed herself off the couch and headed toward the back room. 

Asleep, Henry lay in the bed on the right side of the room, his Ironman blanket pulled over his head. After changing into her pajamas, Emma climbed into her new bed, gazing up at the moon outside the small window beside her. On the other side of the wall, she could hear Killian talking unintelligibly. She tries desperately not to find it adorable as she tried to fall asleep.

The moon was too bright, turning the dark sky a pale blue-silver. The colour of his eyes. He would be the death of her...


End file.
